Falling Apart
by FreedomInTheMusic
Summary: Tori hasn't been acting herself and Jade really wants to get to the bottom of it. Just what is taking the usual smile from Tori Vega's face? Slight Jori and Catorade friendship.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did own Victorious, you'd definitely see some changes ;)**

**A/N**: **So hi guys, this is my first fic that I've actually thought I would publish on here. I basically usually hate everything I write, so constructive criticism and reviews would be greatly appreciated to help my mind either be put at ease or so I can improve. :P This is a one-shot as I know that my ability to be able to keep up writing a multi-chap is very limited.**

**Falling Apart**

Jade couldn't quite decide which was most annoying; an overly excited Cat who was giggling while her face was covered in chocolate ice cream or a very quiet and distant Tori who only opened her mouth to answer yes or no questions. It was infuriating! Tori had been the one to demand that the three of them should hang out tonight, suggesting a trip to the ice cream place down the street from Hollywood Arts followed by a night full of movies and food. Jade could be at home right now, adding the final touches to the latest play she had been writing, where a woman ends up stabbing her cheating boyfriend, but here she was, bored out of her mind. Tori herself looked like she regretted ever suggesting this plan in the first place. It begged the question as to why the sudden change in Tori's attitude, but Jade didn't want to ask because the answer would probably be a very inaudible grumble or a very unhelpful sentence along the lines of: '_Just forget about it! I'm fine!_". Jade knew that Tori had been fine on Tuesday…or maybe it had been Wednesday when she was last her sickeningly cheerful self, but suddenly by Thursday morning she was off from school and became the least engaging person on the planet in terms of texts.

Jade almost missed the overly happy and helpful mood of the youngest Vega sister…secretly Jade found the way she could always count on Tori to help her, even when she'd been such a gank to her, slightly endearing. Tori's cheerful smile would sometimes crack the hardened exterior Jade had put in place, replacing her mask with a small smile. It was true that Jade always said that she liked it when Vega was sad, but it didn't mean that she meant it or that she meant when Tori appeared to be _this_ sad!

"Toriiiii, do you think that I could build a house out of chocolate ice cream? Wouldn't that be cool? You could just lick the walls when you got hungry! Can that happen Tori?" Cat giggled, grabbing onto Tori's arm with her chocolate covered hands.

"Uh yeah, sure Cat." Tori sighed, not even registering that her arm was now slathered in sticky ice cream.

Cat giggled again and clapped her hands, seemingly planning on when she could build such a house. Jade figured that Cat must know it was impossible, the girl was naïve sometimes but not completely stupid, so she suspected that the bubbly redhead was only trying to get more of a cheerful response out of her friend. Jade sighed heavily and forcefully slammed her spoon on the table, making both of the other girls jump in surprise.

"That's it Vega, what is up with you?" Jade snapped, trying to hide her true concern in a tone, which came off as aggressive. "You were the one who begged us to come hang out with you and you've been acting weird for the past couple of days! So what gives?"

Tori sighed heavily in response and shook her head.

"It's nothing Jade, I'm fine. Can we just get out of here and head back to Cat's?"

"I thought we were staying at yours Vega?" Jade asked, shooting Tori a quizzical look.

"Oh, Tori called yesterday and asked if we could change it to my house! I said okay cause my brother isn't home! Mom's taken him to my uncle and uncle and San Francisco, so he can't bother us! I'm not sure why she took him there, but the other day he started t-"

"Quick, let's get back to Cat's before I bash my head into the table from the dullness of this story!" Jade stated abruptly.

Jade swiftly made her way out of the ice cream parlour, with the sounds of Tori and Cat's shuffling to keep up with the long strides Jade was taking, accompanying from behind. She got into her car and waited until the other girls were buckled up; with Tori riding shotgun and Cat in the back and the ride back to Cat's was so silent that you could have cut the tension in the car with a knife. Cat looked more worried than she had done previously that night and Tori just gazed out the window, as if nothing else existed but the buildings and trees which rushed by outside. Hours seemed to have passed before Jade finally parked in the Valentines' drive way and the three girls got out and reached the comforting yet slightly odd place which was Cat's house.

xxx

Tori and Jade lay on Cat's bed in their pyjamas and waited in silence as their friend retrieved the food all of them had brought as well as a selection of DVDs, many of which Jade had insisted on bringing. Jade snuck a few glances at Tori as she tried to figure out just what was up with the girl. It was starting to seriously freak her out, Tori was never one to be quiet for this long. Jade tried to remember back to what had happened in the couple of days when Tori had vanished. The only significant thing was that Trina hadn't been around to annoy the hell out of her either…so perhaps it was something that was affecting all of the Vegas, a kind of family crisis of some kind. The only option Jade could come up with, that didn't involve the pleasant scenario where Trina had been kidnapped and was being tortured, was that perhaps Mr Vega had been shot on duty and was in hospital or something. Nothing else seemed to cross Jade's mind as being possible.

"Jade, quit looking at me like I'm some sort of riddle you need to figure out!" Tori snapped suddenly, pulling Jade away from her inner hypotheses.

"Well Tori, if you weren't being such a closed book I wouldn't need to figure anything out!" Jade retorted, pushing a stuffed unicorn onto the floor just as Cat walked in.

"MR SPARKLES! JADE, WHAT HAS HE EVER DONE TO YOU?" The small girl squeaked, dumping everything on the floor and rushing over to brush the non-existent dirt off of her favourite stuffed animal.

"I'm pretty sure Mr Sparkles enjoyed every second of it. Now put something on so I don't have to listen to Vega anymore!"

Cat quickly obliged, shoving a DVD into the player and jumping back on the bed so that her head could rest in Tori's lap.

Both Tori and Jade groaned as the telltale signs of Cat's DVD choice came through the speakers and onto the screen. The girl loved _Madagascar_ and it was a wonder that they didn't see this coming before. Jade vowed to herself that she wouldn't let anyone else but her choose the next DVD…she was going to enjoy watching Cat and Tori squeal at whichever gory horror film she picked out. Perhaps it would make Tori come out of the little shell she'd put herself in. With Tori being so shut down, there was no way that Jade could amuse herself by bickering with someone who wasn't going to say anything back. It was at the point now that Jade had to find out what was making the girl upset and she needed to put that obnoxious smile back on her face, no matter what. It was that smile that made Jade's heart race a little when it was directed at her...not that she'd share this with anyone.

xxx

Jade's thoughts must have carried her attention away from the film too much, as the next thing she knew her eyes were opening to a pitch-black room. There were wrappers scattered all over the floor telling Jade that the other two must have carried on their night while they let Jade sleep. She didn't know whether to be angry that she'd missed probably hours of time to try and crack Tori or to be grateful that neither of the other two had decided to do anything silly to Jade while she'd slept. It was probably because both girls knew that it would be extremely dangerous to try and disturb a sleeping Jade. She gingerly propped herself on her elbows, looking to her side to see Cat curled into her side and sucking her thumb gently. Cat's innocence always showed, even when she slept. It was something that Jade had teased her mercilessly about, but that was just Cat and Jade had to admit it was cute. Jade's eyes looked past Cat's sleeping form to try and make out Tori's silhouette, except there was none to see. Without much care for jostling Cat, Jade sat up abruptly and whirled her head around the room to try and pinpoint the location of the Latina. It was pointless…she just wasn't there.

_She's probably just in the bathroom, Jade. Just in the bathroom._ Jade repeated to herself over and over as she crept out of bed and towards Cat's bedroom door. She slipped out as quietly as a ghost and breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed that trails of light escaped under the door of the bathroom, showing Tori's whereabouts. Jade silently crept towards the door and almost knocked when she heard a very soft sound coming from inside. There was no mistake of what Jade had just stumbled upon. Tori Vega was sobbing quietly on the other side of the door. Jade took a deep breath and knocked quietly on the door, hearing the suddenly muffling of the cries. It sounded so heart breaking. Whatever was wrong with Tori had made her sadder than Jade had ever seen her be.

"Tori? It's Jade. Can I come in?" Jade said softly, trying not to make Tori close up again.

"I-it's open." Came the sniffled reply.

Jade carefully opened the door and slid into the room. She was dazzled as her eyes tried to adjust to the bright light that violated her pupils, but sure enough she was able to take in the pitiful sight before her.

"Don't even say it Jade." Tori murmured the half-hearted threat.

Jade couldn't even form words when she took in the truly broken appearance of the girl in front of her. Trails of salty tears marked her beautifully tanned face and her once sparkling eyes held a great sorrow and fear in them that Jade hadn't witnessed from her before. Tori's hair was sticking out all over the place from where she'd run her hands vigorously through her hair and. Looking at her like this made Jade realised just how weak and tired she had looked for the whole day, the girl must not have slept properly in a few days and the stress of it showed.

"Tori, what is going on?" was the whispered reply, as Jade calmly came to sit down in front of her somewhat friend.

"Nothing!" Tori croaked, seeming a lot less convincing since the other times she had claimed nothing was wrong. "Let's just go back to sleep and forget this happened?"

"No, don't think you're getting away that easily Vega. You're sobbing in the middle of the night in a bathroom and no offence but you've looked like shit all day."

"Thanks Jade. You're so helpful." Tori remarked snidely.

"You're beginning to sound like me." Jade chuckled coldly. "You always bug me about being your friend and here I am offering a shoulder to cry on like friends do and you push me away? Where's the sense in that?"

Tori glared at Jade half-heartedly and let out a rattling sigh. Her eyes tried to blink out the remaining tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks and her deep breaths steadied the shaky breaths.

"They're getting a divorce."

xxx

Jade blinked a couple of times before she fully registered what Tori had just told her. Tori's parents were getting a divorce. That would explain why both Trina and Tori had been off school and it would explain the really sudden change in the girl who sat, hunched over, before Jade. If there was one thing Jade understood more than anything, it was how it felt when families are torn apart in such away. She had, had to deal with her parents' divorce for the past 8 years of her life and the anger and upset remained fresh in her memories.

"Why? They always seem to happy when I see them." were the only words that managed to tumble out of Jade's mouth.

"I thought so too. Apparently mom was happier fucking her stupid lover behind my dad's fucking back!" Tori spat, an unexpected venom laced in every word.

"You're kidding?"

"I wish I was, Jade! She was with Gary! Dad's own fucking partner! I thought it was strange; him calling her a 'special lady' and mom calling him handsome!" Tori's eyes were brimming with tears again as she started to shake. "Why did she do it Jade? Why did she have to ruin everything? I know Trina is hard to handle and dad works a lot, but wasn't our family good enough?"

Jade couldn't move a muscle. She was in shock from the words that had emerged from Tori's mouth and the shaking and cries that accompanied them. This just wasn't something that would happen to a nice family like the Vegas. Sure the parents disappeared all the time, leaving Tori and Trina alone in a large house, but Mrs Vega hadn't seemed like the kind of woman who would cheat on her husband.

"I'm so sorry." Jade managed to say.

Tori nodded slightly, drew up her knees and buried her face into them. Jade could feel a stinging in her own eyes as her heart melted at the sight of a very distraught Tori. Wordlessly, she scouted herself so she was sitting beside Tori and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. The comforting gesture cause another sob to escape Tori as she buried her head into Jade's side, cuddling up to her in order to feel safe and supported. Jade rubbed soothing circles on Tori's back, allowing the depressed girl to cry into her black shirt.

The two girls remained in that position for an hour before Jade started to shift uncomfortably on the tiled floor. Tori was still sniffling quietly, trying to control the larger of her sobs.

"Hey Vega, think you'll be okay with going back to the bedroom? These tiles aren't going to be good for either of us and you need your sleep." Jade said, smoothing down Tori's hair and gently tucking a loose strand behind her ear.

Tori looked up at Jade's face, in a moment when the usual hard mask was replaced with a tender and empathetic expression. Tori nodded slowly and stretched her limbs slowly, trying to remove the ache from her cramped muscles. Jade smiled slightly and began to lead Tori out of the door, before a warm hand encircling her wrist halted her. She looked back quizzically at Tori, whose gaze seemed to have intensified.

"Thank you Jade, thank you for being there for me." She said, moving over to Jade and kissing her softly on the cheek.

"It was no problem." Jade choked out, her pale skin giving the slight blush away from the unexpected gesture. "After all, you look absolutely horrible when you cry."

Tori chuckled softly at the weak smirk that graced Jade's face.

"And now everything feels slightly more normal again." Tori laughed, a little too quietly to match the usual rich tones of her laughter.

Jade grabbed Tori's wrist and led her back into Cat's room. The redhead was still fast asleep and curled up, leaving enough room for both Tori and Jade to squeeze onto the bed. Jade lay down close to the edge, while Tori snuggled up close into Jade's side.

"Goodnight Jade." Tori said feebly, closing her eyes and quickly succumbing to the sleep that had evaded her for days.

Jade lay quietly for a moment, watching as Tori drifted into sleep until a relatively peaceful expression graced her face. She didn't know what had come over her, but Jade lightly hugged Tori closer to her body and kissed her gently on the top of the head.

"Goodnight Tori." She murmured before drifting gently off to sleep.


End file.
